We asked the question, was Gavin Bazunu’s decision the right one?

The community in Firhouse expressed support for local man Gavin Bazunu after he made the decision not to be part of the squad for Ireland’s match against Israel on Sunday.

The Echo spoke to residents in the community on their thoughts about the 24-year-old’s decision to step away from the national team squad rather than represent the team in the 3-0 win at the weekend.

A well-documented conflict between Israel and Palestine has dominated news and social media in the last three years, since the October 7 attacks in 2023.

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded in a 2025 report that Israel committed and continue to commit genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Southampton goalkeeper Bazunu’s stance on the game led to a vote within the camp, which was in favour of playing the game.

Many people that spoke to The Echo agreed with the national team keeper and said that more could have been done by organisations involved.

One resident said that “it was outrageous” that the match was played and that efforts should be made to avoid playing this Sunday’s fixture against Israel – the ‘home’ game for Ireland in Serbia.

“They shouldn’t have played the game. It’s outrageous that it happened and they should stop the next one.”

Another stated that they did not watch the game as a big football fan, despite always tuning in to get behind the Irish team, and compared comments made by Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the United Nations assembly last week to how the footballing situation was dealt with.

“The FAI was at fault, the Government was at fault. Micheál Martin was in the UN the last week talking about genocide.

“[Bazunu’s] taken a stance, we should have backed him…I didn’t watch the game. I’m a big, big football supporter but it’s the only way I could express my anger or support for Bazunu and the position took.

“I’ll watch the match against Austria but I won’t watch the home leg.”

Several placed the blame on the FAI, the Government and other actors on the Irish side for what transpired, with some feeling that the football governing body for association football in Ireland could have handled it better.

One person noted that the FAI “should be ashamed of themselves” for the way the situation was handled.

“I believe, at the end of the day, the authority who look after Irish football should be ashamed of themselves.

“They should have stood up but they didn’t.”

In a statement, Gavin Bazunu said: “I have reached a decision that I have not taken lightly. I am a man of strong faith and try my best to be a person of character and principle therefore I feel it would be wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures against Israel.

“My decision is based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong. It is important to note that my stance is not in opposition of the Israeli people or the Jewish community but against atrocities in the region.

“There are few times where you get a chance in life to stand up for something bigger and I strongly believe that this is one of them.”

The Republic of Ireland return to action tonight at 7:45pm in the Aviva Stadium for their match against Austria, and will face Israel for the second time in this international break on Sunday in Bačka Topola at 7:45pm Irish time.